Proper Air Conditioning

If there is one thing I will learn out of this whole experience of living in Brazil it will be to never, ever, ever take air conditioning for granted again.

Now this is a bit of an odd time to be concerned about AC since we are into comfortable weather here and the apartment is downright cool at times. I love it, by the way. I think it has something to do with everything being made of concrete, but when the building cools down it stays cool for a while. I’m enjoying having to wear a sweater in the apartment.

Anyway, my trip back to the States brought good AC to mind again. There is absolutely nothing like being outside on a hot, humid summer day and walking into a freezing cold house. It is wonderful!

I know that the lack of AC is not just a Brazil issue. The places I visited in Europe during the summer months lacked it as well because they are more concerned with keeping it warm in the winter, which is important.

However, I’ve never had to experience heat like in Brazil and been forced to sit in it for days at a time with no relief possible. I was to the point of going to the coffee shop and purposely sitting under the vent for a few hours to get some cooler air. Thanks goodness some businesses have it or it would really be horrible.

I don’t think I ever went into the saga that was involved in getting our wall mounted ACs put in the apartment. It was awful and I won’t bore you with details – a lot of chizzling through concrete, men dangerously hanging off our balcony, and redoing the whole thing once we found out they were in the wrong place.

Anyway, you would think all of that would be worth it for a cooler apartment. Umm, not really. They barely drop the apartment a degree, meaning it is typically about 80+ degrees F in here, August through April. The one in the bedroom drips – try sleeping with that noise. Water torture, I tell you!

In fairness, I will say that if I sit in one specific spot on the couch, I do get a short breeze of cool air when it is running.

I know we are lucky to have ACs at all and frankly I have no idea how people do without it completely. Yes, I survive, but it is awful to sit at a computer and poor sweat simply from typing on a keyboard.

As a result of all this when I was visiting the US, once the weather warmed up, I had no motivation to go outdoors in the heat of the day. I just sat in the living room enjoying the sound of the AC kicking on and off. Heaven!

Now that I’m back in Brazil I’m desperately hanging on to this cooler weather. I sadly look at each passing calendar day knowing that the oven which is my apartment is going to start heating up in the very near future. As spoiled and high maintenance as it makes me, I am not afraid to admit that I love proper air conditioning.